Is everyone a gamer?

[Something Amyss]

Hopefully, they make godly-good toast, though... The last thing we want is a #Toastgate hitting the breakfast circuit...

Circuit? I see what you did there!

 

[OldNewNewOld]

Saying that everyone who plays games at all is a gamer is the same as saying that everyone who eats food is a gourmand. That's simply not the case.

 

[LostTrigger]

I'm not trying to exclude anyone from being a gamer but alot of people want "gamer" to be a label for anyone who games(regardless of there age, what they play, or even if they identify as a gamer) when for alot of people being a gamer is an identity, its more than just playing games and they dont really want to be grouped in with the same people who dont share that much of an interest in the hobby.

Opinion?

My opinion is that if you are not looking to exclude people than establishing the distinction becomes meaningless. I also question many of the arbitrary distinctions created with the intention of separating "true" gamers from "false". What if I grind for 5 hours instead of 10? Am I still a gamer? What if I grind for 30 hours? Am I more of a gamer than you? What metric are we employing to determine "gamerness"?

If your goal is simply to separate people who are "serious about the hobby" from those who are not for the purposes of befriending them, roughly a minute of conversation should be sufficient for the task. I have absolutely no conception whatsoever what the information could be useful for otherwise, if not to gate-keep the label.

Gamers are dead

Shots fired.

#Tippygate

so you think grouping a bunch of people into one category and mislabeling them is better? i dont think people who dont identify as a gamer care if they are excluded from a group they were never apart of.

it helps in conversations and marketing. what is a gamer? when you say your target audience are gamers who are they? or if you wanted to find a gaming community it would be hard to find one that suits you best if everybody even if there different are lumped under one term/identity.

 

[tippy2k2]

Gamers are dead

Shots fired.

#Tippygate

Ah crap. I knew this day would come eventually but you just can't quite prepare as much as you want...

Well let's get this started. First off, that baby came after ME! The video doesn't show it but it WAS self defense. Secondly....oh wait....#tippygate is about that "Gamers are dead" thing?

Um....ignore that first part >.>

 

[Darth Rosenberg]

Ugh... I think a major problem with this 'community' is that we have people 'identifying' themselves through a frikkin' expressive medium. Maybe insecure teenagers scrambling for identity need labels, but everyone else should just consume whatever the hell they wish to (regardless of content or hours spent, etc) and leave it and that.

The answer to 'is everyone a gamer' can only surely be; who cares, followed by it's not important.

 

[Darth Rosenberg]

What I've seen is that some people feel it's important, and they care more about how they feel than anything else in the world. I'll grant you that's very selfish, but it seems to be the real Gamer Culture.

To quote Lester Burnham; "This isn't life! This is just stuff". Over association with stuff - things - typically leads people to perceive attacks or criticism on said stuff as a personal slight, ergo we seem to have a 'culture' of mind blowingly inane and petty spats, and it mostly stems from that core, unhealthy sense of [over] identification.

Surely the only question people who play games should be asking is 'Am I having fun?' (whilst appreciating that fun can mean all kinds of things to all kinds of people).

 

[Something Amyss]

Right, but it was catered to in a different way, and now they're a minority as opposed to the core of the Western hobby.

Yeah, but people are aware "gamer" has long been viewed as toxic, and defend the toxic behaviours without wanting to be seen as toxic.

 

[Rebel_Raven]

I can't imagine anyone who hasn't ever tried some game in some form or another, so yeah, despite what arbitrary lines people want to draw in the sand, we are all gamers. Every mind needs to play, and games are a part of that.

 

[infohippie]

I have been a gamer for over thirty years, from back when "gamer" generally meant "tabletop wargamer and/or roleplayer", and not so much the video gaming scene that was still in its infancy.

Right, but it was catered to in a different way, and now they're a minority as opposed to the core of the Western hobby.

Yeah, but people are aware "gamer" has long been viewed as toxic, and defend the toxic behaviours without wanting to be seen as toxic.

I disagree. Dudebro gamers have long been seen as toxic, but I hardly even consider them "gamers".

 

[Erttheking]

I have been a gamer for over thirty years, from back when "gamer" generally meant "tabletop wargamer and/or roleplayer", and not so much the video gaming scene that was still in its infancy.

Right, but it was catered to in a different way, and now they're a minority as opposed to the core of the Western hobby.

Yeah, but people are aware "gamer" has long been viewed as toxic, and defend the toxic behaviours without wanting to be seen as toxic.

I disagree. Dudebro gamers have long been seen as toxic, but I hardly even consider them "gamers".

The problem is that people like dudebros get in on multiplayer games and make things more miserable for everyone with toxic behavior.

And people either don't want to talk about it or downplay the damage it does to the community.

 

[Glongpre]

No, not everyone who touches a game is a gamer, just like you wouldn't call someone who will play a pick up game of whatever an athlete. I can shoot a basketball, and could play a game competently, but I am not a basketball player.

 

[cleric of the order]

If everyone's a gamer, then no one's a gamer...

Other than that, not really because not everyone takes up the title in general, let alone know the definition(s) for said title...

did you just beat m to the punch?

 

[Redd the Sock]

Old question and I stand by my thoughts:

I cook dinner for myself, it doesn't make me much of a chef.
My mom has a vegetable garden, that doesn't make her a farmer.
I know some first aid: it doesn't make me a doctor. (same logic, I won't let my chiropractor do open heart surgery just because he's a doctor).
I sing in the shower, it doesn't make me a singer.
I can fix minor problems in my toilet, it doesn't make me a plumber.

I'd be lying if I said I had no idea why people seem so scared of a different term for the more experienced, knowledgeable, killed, or devoted in a hobby, and I'm left shaking my head at people that feel they need this "title" of this "super elitist secret club" to enjoy gaming at the level they chose to. Myself, I was taught to be respectful of others that go above and beyond, so I have no problem with enthusiast labels, basically either thinking they are important enough to earn, or not important enough to care about having or not having.

Besides, the divide this debate is based in (value effort or treat everyone equal regardless of effort) would still exist without the term to quibble over. May as well be up front about it.

 

[FirstNameLastName]

Everyone who has played a game at any point in their life is a gamer ... in the same way anyone who has ever watched the Looney Tunes is a furry.
From an actually sensible stand point, no, not everyone is a gamer just because they've played farmville a couple of times, at least not to me. From my definition, a gamer is someone who has a significant enough interest in gaming that they believe the label "gamer" has relevance to who they are. I'm not sure why saying not everyone who plays games is a gamer is automatically an elitist thing to say.

 

[DementedSheep]

Eh if I had to define it I would say someone who plays games as a primary hobby (rather than say...messing about on some free stuff while on the train cause it there). Yes this means someone who plays a lot of farm-vile and candy crush would be a gamer but all that means to me is they are a gamer with shit taste in games.

 

[Trippy Turtle]

Cooooooooooonnnnnnnnteeeeeeeeeeexxxxxtttttttt.
Context.

Words have different meaning based on their context.
For example, if I went up to a dog and said "You're a dog", its unlikely to be taken as me basically saying he fucked me over.
On the other hand, when I go up to my friends and say it, it will be taken like that.

Same thing here, if you are explaining the term to someone thats never heard it before the correct way to do so would be "Someone that plays games".
If you use it on this website, its very safe to assume you don't mean some guy that's played Chess once but has no idea what a games console is.

 

[Nazulu]

I reckon it's one of those things that you just have to decide for yourself and in whatever situation, such as words like 'art'. It's nothing complex at all, just people see it differently. Nothing to be offended about.

Of course there are people that take it too far, but that's with everything and you just ignore the assholes.

 

[FPLOON]

If everyone's a gamer, then no one's a gamer...

Other than that, not really because not everyone takes up the title in general, let alone know the definition(s) for said title...

did you just beat m to the punch?

Metaphorically, yes? I mean, I've never seen that video before in my life...

 

[infohippie]

I have been a gamer for over thirty years, from back when "gamer" generally meant "tabletop wargamer and/or roleplayer", and not so much the video gaming scene that was still in its infancy.

Right, but it was catered to in a different way, and now they're a minority as opposed to the core of the Western hobby.

Yeah, but people are aware "gamer" has long been viewed as toxic, and defend the toxic behaviours without wanting to be seen as toxic.

I disagree. Dudebro gamers have long been seen as toxic, but I hardly even consider them "gamers".

The problem is that people like dudebros get in on multiplayer games and make things more miserable for everyone with toxic behavior.

And people either don't want to talk about it or downplay the damage it does to the community.

Yeah, that is a problem and one we SHOULD be talking about. But don't (anyone, not just you) blame it on "gamers". It's a problem with assholes, not gamers. Just some of those assholes happen to game.

 

[OpticalJunction]

I define a gamer as someone who plays video games, not casual mobile games but full fledged pc or console games, at least once every couple of years. And by that definition, clearly not everyone is a gamer. Young males under the age of 30 are the biggest demographic probably.